Margaret Thatcher branded Arthur Scargill and the other leaders of the 1984-5 miners' strike ;'the enemy within'. With the publication of this bestselling book a decade later, the full irony of that accusation became clear. There was an enemy within. But it was not the National Union of Mineworkers that was out to subvert liberty. It was the secret services of the British state - operating inside the NUM itself. Seumas Milne revealed for the first time the astonishing lengths to which the government and its intelligence machine were prepared to go to destry the power of Britain's miners' union. Using phoney bank deposits, staged cash drops, forged documents, agents provocateurs and unrelenting surveillance, MI5 and police Special Branch set out to discredit Scargill and other miners' leaders. Planted tales of corruption were seized on by the media and both Tory and Labour politicians in what became an unprecedentedly savage smear campaign. In this new edition, published for the twentieth anniversary of Britain's most important postwar social confrontation, new material brings the story up to date - and, in the wake of the Iraq war intelligence scandals, highlights the continuing threat posed by the security services to democracy today.

Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Verso Books
Publication date

13 April 2004
Dimensions

1.32 x 0.36 x 1.98 cm
ISBN-10

1844675084
ISBN-13

978-1844675081
See all details

The Learning Store

Shop books, stationery, devices and other learning essentials. Click here to access the store.

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business : For business-exclusive pricing, quantity discounts and downloadable VAT invoices. Create a free account

Frequently bought together

Total price: £28.57

These items are dispatched from and sold by different sellers. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:The Enemy within: Thatcher's Secret War Against the Miners by Seumas Milne Paperback £10.59
Only 14 left in stock.
Sent from and sold by Y-Not-Books.
Marching to the Fault Line: The Miners' Strike and the Battle for Industrial Britain by Francis Beckett & David Hencke Paperback £8.99
Only 11 left in stock (more on the way).
Sent from and sold by Amazon.
The miners' strike 1984-5 by Sean Matgamna Paperback £8.99
In stock.
Sent from and sold by Amazon.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Francis Beckett & David Hencke
37
Paperback
£8.99
Sean Matgamna
10
Paperback
£8.99
Ian MacGregor
24
Hardcover
37 offers from £1.43
Trounce
17
Paperback
£10.05
Mark Metcalf
15
Paperback
£11.87
Milne
24
Paperback
£9.99

Start reading The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

Publisher : Verso Books; New edition (13 April 2004)
Language : English
Paperback : 512 pages
ISBN-10 : 1844675084
ISBN-13 : 978-1844675081
Dimensions : 1.32 x 0.36 x 1.98 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 128,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 150 in Economic Labour
- 181 in European Governments & Politics
- 270 in Military History of Military Intelligence & Espionage

Customer reviews:
129 ratings

Product description

Review

"A real-life thriller." - Evening Standard "One of the most remarkable demolition jobs ever." - Spectator "A tribute to detailed journalistic investigation ... strips away the myths and lies." - New Statesman "An astonishing book." - The Nation "Riveting. It knocks spots off the usual 'whodunnit'" - Guardian

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Customer reviews

5 star		75%
4 star		11%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Amazon Customer

Not what I expected

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 August 2018

Verified Purchase

After reading the book's description, I expected an account of the miners' strike and how the Government sought to undermine it. Instead I got a dissertation on the NUM's leadership and its challenges/challengers. This is a very well researched book, however, owing to that the author goes into the minutest of detail about obscure occurrences, which led to quite a boring read. If you're after a general history of the strike and the war against the miners, then this book isn't for you; if you're after a comprehensive account of the NUM leadership for academic purposes, then I am sure this will be great read.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mr. Paul James SMITH

Probably One Of The Best Books Ever

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 July 2018

Verified Purchase

I'm old enough to have lived through this period whilst working in Leeds.

If I had known the full facts at the time, explained so well in this exceptional book my opinions would have been so different.

Those foolishness enough to believe we live in a free democracy should read this and think carefully.

Well written. Informative. Frightening.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Poppy Ann Miller

Excellent piece of investigative journalism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 May 2015

Verified Purchase

For those who want a thorough account of events during the UK miner's strike and its leader and activist, Arthur Scargill, 'The Enemy Within', is a must. Seamus Milne supports his written work with documented evidence, including dates, times and places, of decisions and conversations between media, politicians, and union leaders, both in the UK and worldwide. An astounding piece of work. I found I had to re-read parts as the information is so comprehensive, I needed another look for it to sink in. One of, if not, the most comprehensive accounts of a crucial time in British history, illustrating the beginnings of the dismantling of the UK union movement.
Highly recommended.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Antony Mumford

Virtually unreadable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2020

Verified Purchase

Having lived in an area affected by the strike I bought the book very interested to read Mr Milne’s take on it, even though I was mindful of likely partiality. I’m afraid that despite making a number of attempts I found it so turgidly boring that I had to give up. Visiting union offices and ploughing through meeting minutes from 50 years ago would have been far more interesting. Almost as bad as trying to decipher the literary theory of French intellectuals (in French!)

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Revealing but too partial to Scargill. He was wronged but far from saint.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2019

Verified Purchase

Very interesting to start with but was disappointed that it did not deal with the miners' strike so much as its aftermath. I felt it was also one sided, even though he presents a lot of evidence on his side. I feel the history of coal, the National Union of Miners and the Miners' Strike in the UK remain to be written.

Helpful

gda

Everyone should read this

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 January 2020

Verified Purchase

Well written and well researched. For those of us who lived through this shameful episode, and saw up close the disgraceful tactics employed by the government against British citizens at that time, this book will inform and shock but won't surprise. For those who thought - or think - that strikers are a bunch of disruptive, Marxist hooligans, this book will change your mind.
Should be compulsory in British schools.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

neil barrington

The truth

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2018

Verified Purchase

I always strongly suspected there was a multitude of dirty tricks and subterfuge used during the 84-85 miners strike. This book lays it bare. Just shows the incredible lengths the Thatcher government was prepared to go to break the union. A must read

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Very good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 May 2017

Verified Purchase

I wish we had had this book before now because this tells you in no uncertain terms the way things were manipulated against the miners- excellent author.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	AbeBooks Books, art & collectables	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Download Audiobooks	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	DPReview Digital Photography	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations

Amazon Home Services Experienced pros Happiness Guarantee	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Prime Now 2-Hour Delivery on Everyday Essentials

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Deep Discounts Open-Box Products	Amazon Business Service for business customers	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food

	Amazon Second Chance Pass it on, trade it in, give it a second life

Select Your Cookie Preferences

Follow the author

Similar authors to follow

The Enemy within: Thatcher's Secret War Against the Miners Paperback – 13 April 2004

There is a newer edition of this item:

Special offers and product promotions

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product details

Product description

Review

Customers who bought this item also bought

Customer reviews

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.